


Sirens In Beacon Hills?

by leonheart2012



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Multi, Rape, Sirens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:56:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is going to continue like season 6, without needing the ending of season 5. Relationships will start like how they are in the season now. They will change, but they'll start out that way. The chapters will be shorter than an episode of teen wolf, but the breaks will be where I think they fit, and it will be updated as I finish the chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kidnapped

Brett was pulled out of the club by a laughing pair of teens. They were both boys and both completely and undeniably hot.  
He was at the club with Mason and Liam. He'd been there as a friend, but he had started dancing with these boys when he saw Liam dancing with Hayden, hands everywhere. That was the trouble with going to the club with your crush; they always started dancing with someone else.  
One of the boys kissed Brett, and Brett took it. He wasn't really that into it, but he was feeling kind of put-out, so some love and affection was appreciated right about then, even if it wasn't coming from Liam.  
Brett's head started to spin and his eyes flashed gold; wolfsbane. "What did you give me?"  
"Just a little something to help you on the ride back to my place, sweetheart."  
Brett tried to call out for Liam, for Mason, but he couldn't gather the strength.  
  
After he'd passed out, the two boys, Raphael and Connor, doused the wolf in water, slightly scented with lavender and wolfsbane. That way, his pack couldn't follow his trail. Raphael, the stronger of the two, with big, burly muscles and taught, smooth, tanned skin, picked up the unconscious boy and put him in the back of his trunk.  
  
Brett woke up on cold, hard tiles. The room was freezing and he was completely naked. Brett lazily lifted an arm and inhaled his scent; wolfsbane with a hint of lavender. There was no way his friends were going to be able to follow his scent. The lavender and wolfsbane together would throw them off. There were plenty of gardens around here with lavender.  
Brett looked around the room. He was in a basement somewhere, of some kind. It was lined with tiles and there were worrying sights everywhere he turned. On the wall opposite was a basin, a toilet and a showerhead. It only had one knob, and Brett guessed it had only one temperature; freezing cold. On the wall to his left was a door. It was standing slightly open, teasing him. He knew that even if he wasn't chained to the wall, he still couldn't get out. He was too cold, and even as a werewolf, the cold had an effect that settled fatigue deep in his bones. Whoever was keeping him here wanted him to know that they knew exactly what he was and how to keep him subdued. Brett lolled his head to the other side, where he saw a fire hose, which he also assumed spurted icy cold water. He guessed that that was the 'punishment' side of the room.  
  
It was a long while before the door to his cell opened. Brett instantly sat upright and hugged his knees to his chest, trying to shrink back into the wall.  
There were the two boys from the club and another two girls, whom Brett had not seen before.  
One of the girls stepped forward. She had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Her lips were a plump, almost black plum colour. She flashed Brett her pearly white teeth.  
"You've already met Raphael and Connor, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jenny. The other girl is Sydney."  
The redhead at the back of the group gave a sweet, shy smile and a little wave. It was almost endearing. Almost.  
"Now, we're not going to do anything to you _yet_. We just want to make sure you're comfortable."  
Jenny's hand shot out and gripped Brett's shoulder tightly. She threw her head back and opened her mouth wide. Brett felt unbelievably weak. He felt his eyelids droop. Jenny sighed and withdrew her hand. Brett immediately felt a rush of endorphins course through his body. With renewed strength, he tried to claw at jenny, but she'd already leapt out of his reach.  
She clucked her tongue. "Uh, uh, uh." She tutted. She gestured to one of the boys. "Connor, show him what we do to naughty boys."  
The smaller, lighter skinned boy went to get the hose. Brett was right. The water was icy cold. Brett was forced against the wall by a constant, unrelenting wave of pressurised water.  
After two minutes of this, Jenny tapped Connor's shoulder and he turned the water off. Jenny knelt down before Brett wh was shivering uncontrollably. "Now, if you try anything like _that_ again, you know what's coming. We're going to unchain you now so you can have a shower, go to the toilet, everything like that. Okay?"  
Sydney kneeled in front of Brett and removed the chains. She unhitched them from the wall. She did all of this while not touching him at all. She glanced at him with sad eyes, and Brett saw that all she wanted to do was escape. He blinked and she was gone. He heard footsteps retreating. "What are you?" He called after them.  
Jenny laughed. "Oh, come on Brett, you're smarter than that. Figure it out!"  
_How does she know my name? I didn't tell anybody my name._ That is the last thought he had before he sinks into unconsciousness.


	2. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam, Mason, Scott, Malia, Kira and Stiles look for Brett as their suspicions rise.

"But why is his car still here? He's been gone for two days, no one's seen him and his car's still here."  
"Well, what do you think happened to him, Mason? Do you really think he was kidnapped? He's a _werewolf_. He can take care of himself. Besides, I got a text from him just a couple of hours ago." Liam pulled out his phone. "'Don't worry about me, staying at friend's wink face house.'" Liam read. "See, just fine. He couldn't text if he was tied up somewhere deep underground, could he?"  
"Just because it's from his phone doesn't mean its from him. Text him back. As him who his friend is." Stiles suggested.  
"Okay, I asked him." Liam's phone pinged. "He says Mason's." They all looked at Mason who shook his head.  
"If he's staying at my house, I don't know about it. We should probably go there to check, though. Maybe he stumbled in drunk and I just didn't notice." He said it hopefully, even though they all knew what they would find at Mason's house; absolutely nothing.  
"Alright. Let's go and check it out." Scott said, though he sounded as convinced as everyone else.  
  
Sydney had been charged with making sure that Brett's friends didn't notice he was missing. It was the first time she'd been trusted with this job, and she almost jumped out of her skin when Brett's phone buzzed. She read the text; _Who are you staying with?_ She'd looked through the contacts before so that she could respond quickly enough to not raise suspicions. She chose one of the boy's names, figuring it was more likely that Liam would be hanging out with one of them. 'Mason', she responded immediately. She prayed to whoever would listen that he would be standing right next to Mason, the faceless boy in her mind whispering to her, telling her not to worry; that he would set everything straight. She desperately hoped that he would.  
  
"Brett? Are you here Brett?" Mason yelled into the darkness of his house for the fifth time.  
Liam put his hand on Mason's shoulder. "I don't think he's here, Mason." He said softly.  
Stiles poked his head out from the kitchen. "Why are we even doing this? Isn't he a part of Satomi's pack anyways? Stiles looked annoyed. "Why aren't _they_ looking for him?"  
"Because he's not a part of Satomi's pack. He's a part of ours. Three days ago, he said that he'd leave Satomi's pack and join ours, if I'd have him. I told him I would be honoured to have him as a part of the pack. He insisted that he'd tell you all tomorrow. That's what's making me more concerned than anything else. From what I know of Brett, he wouldn't say he was going to do something and then not do it. I could see that it conflicted him greatly, leaving Lori and Satomi and his other pack members, but he wanted to help."  
"God, I should have been keeping a closer eye on him. This wouldn't have happened if-"  
"Hey, Mason, don't think like that. Keep your wits about you. This isn't our fault. It's theirs, for taking him, and Brett's for not telling us where he was going, and with whom." Mason looked at the floor. Despite saying those things, Liam couldn't help but feel at least a little bit responsible. He had seen Brett's face fall when he'd started dancing with Hayden, but he'd brushed it off. It wasn't like he and Brett were dating. They were barely even friends. It still felt bad, though, knowing that he was gone. Maybe there was more to it than Brett just feeling left out. Maybe...Liam shook his head. No way. Brett couldn't have a crush on him. That was just ridiculous.  
"I really don't understand why he would leave with someone else, though. Lori said that Brett almost never went home with anybody, especially not recently, because he had his eye set on somebody in particular. She said she didn't know who it was, but that she had a pretty good idea of what they looked like because of the descriptions he'd given her."  
"Maybe we should go and talk to her?" Malia said.  
"I'll go with you." Stiles said.  
"Okay, Liam and I will go and try to pick up Brett's scent again." Scott said.  
"I'll go with Mason and try to trace the text. I'll take it to the Sheriff's office." Said Kira.  
They all parted ways and went off to complete their tasks.  
  
"Lori, do you think you could describe the boy Brett was interested in?"  
"Okay, well, he talked a lot about a height difference, about how cute it was that he had to look up onto his face. He said he liked his blonde hair and blue-grey eyes...he wrote some poetry, like he always does when he's in love. I'll see if I can find it." She went away for a while and came back with a pile of papers. She sifted through them and sorted them into smaller, separate piles. After she was done, she handed them four pieces of paper, completely covered in writing. "Those are the ones about him."  
"And the others?"  
Lori shrugged. "Others. He likes writing poetry. I guess it just helps him get the emotions out." She pointed to one pile about a pinky thick. "Those are ones about our parents. You'll notice it's the biggest." She pointed to another pile with about ten papers in it. "Those are previous crushes." She pointed to two pieces of paper, scrawled with words both big and loopy and very small. She blushed a little. "That's me." She pulled out another five pieces of paper, stained with wet splotches. "This was when he was having trouble with his sexuality. He'd write, then he'd cry, for a really long time." Lori's face grew very long. "I don't care how much you read, or how many questions you want to ask, or how many times you have to come here, just please, bring him back." A single tear slipped down her cheek.  
Stiles kneeled down in front of her. "Don't worry, we'll find him, alive and well, in no time." Lori smiled and left them, shutting her bedroom door after she'd entered it. Stiles and Malia took that as thier cue to leave.  
  
Liam picked up his phone on the third ring. "What is it, Stiles? I'm kind of busy."  
"Yeah, well, un-busy yourself. Malia and I have read through pretty much every single poem he wrote about his crush, and I am almost positive it's about you. Just listen. 'His eyes are blue-grey, his hair is blonde, he has beautiful, cherry red lips, he has perfectly straight teeth, he has wonderful, milky skin, he has an awesome personality'. Then, there's this one. 'He plays lacrosse, and he's always the best, and when he takes his shirt off, I stare at his taught chest. His eyes are dreamy, and the way he makes me feel queasy, is like riding on a cloud, even if he spits his anger so loud'. That sound like you?"  
"Brett writes _poetry_ and you think it's about _me_? No way dude. You definitely made both of those things up."  
"Unfortunately not, Liam. Some of these poems are _terrible_. Like this one. 'Sun, sweets, sweat, summer, he's the one of my dreams, and better than all combined, and it's ripping me apart at the seams. How can he not know, the way I look at him so, how can he not know, how much I love him?' Dude, these poems are making me feel sick. Like, physically sick. He's like some lovesick puppy. I can almost imagine him writing these down, glancing up every now and then to make goo-goo eyes at you. Just tell me you believe it before I have to read you any more."  
"There's _more_? How much did he write?"  
"Four pieces of paper completely covered in writing. There are, like, twenty poems here, all about you and your perfect body, and hair and eyes. I think I might be falling in love with you myself."  
"Alright, fine, he writes poetry about me. What does this have to d with anything?" Liam's heart was pounding in his chest. If it really was Liam that Brett was in lve with, that meant that he'd started dancing with those guys because he was jealous, and if that was the case... Liam hung up the phone just as Stiles was answering him. "Gotta go, sorry." He sat down on the ground and hung his head in his hands.  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
"Brett has a crush on me, and that means its all my fault. I didn't even think. I just started dancing with Hayden, 'cause she's my girlfriend, and I abandoned him, and he went to find someone to keep him company, and now he's gone, and it's all my fault."  
"Hey, it's not your fault. How could you have known? Liam, it's okay. We'll find him, alright?" Liam nodded. "Okay. Let's see if we can follow his scent further, yeah?" Liam nodded again.  
They'd been walking for another hour or so when Liam crashed his fist against a tree, startling Scott and a few nearby creatures. The tree creaked and fell down. "Liam?"  
"This is pointless! We're never going to find him! Not like this! If only I could remember what those guys looked like, or something, anything. I just feel so helpless. If we were going to have any chance of following his scent, we would have found it already! But we haven't, Scott. Let's just face it; our best bet is to trace those texts. Let's just meet Mason and Kira at the police station." Scott looked like he was going to encourage a more thorough search, so Liam played his last card. "Please."  
Scott sighed. "Fine. Let's get back to my bike and go to the police station."  
  
Sydney watched the red dot of Liam's phone disappear off the edge of her phone. She felt like crying out in despair. If only they'd just kept going a little longer, they would have found him, and he wouldn't have been raped, or almost frozen, or dead, but they just had to turn around right then. Sydney whimpered a little in her chest, but Jenny picked up on it.  
"What's wrong, Sydney?"  
"I'm just hungry."  
'Well, I'm sure our new guest would be willing to please. Go down and pay him a visit." Sydney nodded. God, she wanted to get out. She descended the stairs to the basement and stopped outside cell 104. She opened the door and was met with Brett's wild eyes. She slunk around the door and closed it behind her. She swallowed.  
"What are you doing? What are you?"  
"Have you had a shower yet? The water, despite what you might think, is actually a little warm, especially in this room. There's a big piece of machinery near the water tank to this room, which heats up the water. We don't really know what it does, but we can't turn it off, so we just leave it."  
"What are you? Where am I?" Brett said more forcefully.  
"I've been told not to tell you, that you can figure it out." There was a silence. "Your friends are looking for you. They got close. I could hear them. One of them got mad, said that if they were going to find your scent, they would have already."  
Brett scowled at her. "Why would you tell me that?"  
Sydney braced herself against the door at his tone, even though she knew he couldn't do anything. "To give you hope."  
Brett frowned at her. "Do you have hope?"  
Sydney was still for a while, but eventually nodded. "Some. I keep thinking that maybe...one day, someone's going to take me in, let me live with them, fly with their song. It's a stupid hope, though. Once you're born into a song, you have to stay for life."  
"A song?"  
Sydney inhaled sharply. "I shouldn't be here!" She turned quickly to open the door, but she turned back slowly. "Oh, that's right. I have to feed off of you first. They'll know if I don't." Sydney flashed her gaze to the shower. "You should really have a shower." Brett sighed and stood. Sydney gasped and turned away again. Brett laughed and walked to the shower. He sighed as the water hit him. She was right; the water _was_ warm.  
Sydney slowly turned around, running her gaze over Brett's taught, muscled back. She stepped forward slowly. "The water's on a timer. It goes for three minutes before filling again." Brett jumped; he hadn't heard her approach. She slowly shed her clothes and stepped up behind Brett, getting a bit of the flow of water on her. "I'm sorry." She whispered against Brett's back. She gently kissed his back, and Brett felt most of his strength rush out of him. His knees buckled, but straight afterwards, he felt a rush of endorphins, a release of adrenaline and dopamine. He gasped and pushed himself to his feet. He reached out to grab Sydney, but she'd stepped out of his reach.  
"No, don't. Save the energy. You'll need to if you want to survive. The cold keeps you docile, but it can also kill you if you're not careful." She lowered her voice. "I hear your friends because I believe they, and you, have been wronged. I will try everything to get you out of here."  
"And if it costs you your life?"  
Sydney closed her eyes. "Then so be it. At least I won't have to serve underneath Jenny anymore." She'd already redressed and was at the door. She cast one last long glance in Brett's direction before disappearing with the swoosh of her red hair.


	3. Feelings and Discovery

On the way to the station, a black-haired woman ran out in front of the bike. Scott swerved and brought his bike to a stop. Both he and Liam hopped off.  
“Are you okay? What were you thinking?”  
“Why were you at the siren’s den?” She asked.  
Scott frowned. “What?”  
“The siren’s den, why were you there? Out in the woods, you were really close, but you turned around. Why? Who are you looking for?”  
“What do you care?” Liam asked defensively.  
“I have my own song to take care of and worry about. I have to know if you were looking for one of mine.” Her eyes flashed a dark pink.  
“We’re not looking for a siren at all. I didn’t even know that sirens existed.” Scott answered.  
“Then why were you at Jenny’s den? Who are you looking for?”  
“How do you even know we’re looking for anyone?” Scott wasn’t quite sure why Liam was being so defensive, but he rolled with it.  
“I can hear you because you’re looking for something. Every siren hears something different. I have some sirens in my song that listen for heartbreak, some that listen for pining, some that listen for anguish, despair. I listen for those who have lost something. It’s just how we find those we want to feed from. Not all of the emotions we look for are bad, but they mostly are. Those emotions are more powerful. So, now you answer my question.”  
“We were looking for one of our friends, a pack member. He went missing two nights ago. He’s quite tall, with sandy hair and blue eyes. He’s light of skin. Have you seen him?”  
“Hm. Sorry, can’t say that I have. If he is in Jenny’s den, though, his in dire straights. I’ve heard enough rumors about her to make my blood boil. But if he really is there, which he might not be, I have no idea how you’re going to get him out. I have no reason to enter Jenny’s den, and she’s very territorial. I could ask her out, but even with her gone, her den is the most heavily guarded place. If she does have him and I ask her, she’s going to lie. It’s against our laws to feed off of people without getting their permission first.”  
“Why do you care about this?”  
“Sirens have a high sense of justice. I’ve heard rumors of what she does to people, but I cannot do anything without proof. If you find your friend in her ‘care’, then I’ll have the evidence I need to overthrow her. That’s the only way to free the sirens under her influence. A few of them have come to me, complaining about how unlawful she is. They feel uncomfortable. But their word alone is not enough. If you can get me that proof, I can use that to challenge her. If I win, all of her sirens shall be brought under my wing.”  
“And what does that get you?”  
“Nothing. Nothing but more sirens. But it gives them freedom. Jenny rules her sirens with an iron fist. She kills those who cross her. She sometimes even…” She shivered. “She even throws them out of her song.”  
“Why is that so bad?”  
“When a siren loses their song, they become lost. They are shunned by the other sirens. They grow hungrier and hungrier, weaker. Eventually, they become insatiable. They need to feed constantly just to stay alive. Then, even that will not be enough. Their bodies will shrivel and they will basically become a pile of ash. It is a cruel punishment, one only used to deal with the worst of crimes.”  
There was a long pause in which Scott studied her closely. “I want to find out more about you and what sirens are. Can I get your number or something so that we can talk further?”  
“I shall follow you home.” She unfolded great, feathery wings. They were a brilliant hue, red with yellow and blue tips. She looked like a deformed red parrot.  
“What? You’re just going to fly in broad daylight?”  
“Relax. No one can see me.” With a few beats of her powerful wings, she was aloft. “Lead the way.”  
  
“Name’s Heather. You want to know about sirens?”  
Scott nodded.  
“Well, we’re closest to the Greek lore. The English lore romanticized us, made us all maidens from the deep ocean. Our primary function is to feed off of human emotions, mostly pain and sorrow, jealousy and hate. We prolong death, suck out every inch of life someone has. At the same time, we give them peace. Their deaths come slower, but less painful. After we’ve taken from someone, though, both participants feel a rush of adrenaline, dopamine. I can demonstrate, if you like. I can feel the internal search within yourself. You’re looking for your feelings for the one who went missing, and the memory of his disappearance.” She indicated to Liam. “I can take some of that confusion, if you like. I can help you to find those emotions. I will not force you into anything. This is your choice. You will feel weak afterwards, but then the rush will come.”  
Liam nodded and extended his hand. Heather took it. They both closed their eyes.  
(Note: In these bits, the siren is experiencing the other's memories through the other's eyes. In this case, that means that Liam will be referred to as 'she' when not in dialogue, as Heather is experiencing Liam's memories. Hope this clears up any confusion.)  
_Heather was standing over Brett’s body. She knelt down and said ‘that was perfect. Thanks dude.” She stood you and ran away, back in the game of lacrosse._  
  
Heather was panting in front of a smashed-up car, feeling utter remorse. She felt a flutter of hope as she caught sight of Brett. She turned, expecting him to tell her it would all be okay, but she was met with his expression of disappointment. “Brett? Brett, please, you’re always smiling.”  
“Not this time, Liam. This is…” Tears were glistening in his eyes.  
  
Heather was sitting in an office, looking around. She was very nervous. A woman walked in. She poured her heart out to this woman, and once she was done, she nodded. “It’s intermittent explosive disorder, or IED. We usually prescribe medication to balance out the hormones.”  
“We’ll take it.” Her mother said quickly. Her heart was sinking in her chest.  
  
“Brett, I’m sorry. I know it’s unforgiveable, but it…they called it intermittent explosive disorder. I can’t help it.”  
“I’m sorry, Liam, but I have to get to class.” Brett pushed past her and she whirled around, holding his elbow.  
“Do you know what the worst part of this is?”  
“What, Liam?”  
“The constant anxiety. The constant worry that I’ll do it again.”  
Brett’s head sunk below his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Liam. Not now.” She felt like her chest was caving in. She stared at Brett’s back, disappearing into the crowd of bodies.  
“But I need you.” She whispered.  
  
Heather was pushed against the lockers. There were three boys from the lacrosse team blocking her way.  
“I don’t have time for this, guys, I have to get to class. I already paid for what I did.”  
“Oh, yeah, you’re going to. Hold him down, boys.” Heather was punched several times in the stomach. She felt a rising tide of animalistic rage flow through her body, giving her limbs strength. She broke free of the other boys’ grips and punched one in the face. She tried desperately to reign the anger in, but it was completely taking her over, riding her body like a horse. She was pushed underneath the weight of the waves. Suddenly, Brett’s hand was on her shoulder, and then his arms were around her waist.  
“Liam, Liam. Calm down.” His voice grounded her, and she calmed immediately. She saw what she’d done and she felt the tide of anger replaced by one of regret.  
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. They cornered me and I blacked out.”  
Heather felt Brett’s arms retract from around her waist, and she tried to hold onto him, but Brett was stronger. She turned around, but he’d already disappeared.  
  
Heather was marching out to meet Brett at his school’s bus. She called out to him. “Brett!” She stopped in front of him. “I just wanted to say, have a good game.” She held out her hand, and was desperately hoping that Brett would just take her hand, and all of this would be behind them.  
To her despair, Brett laughed. “That’s cute, Liam. Is that what they told you to say in anger management? Apologize and everything’s fine? You demolished coach’s car.”  
Heather felt her anger growing again. She’d already paid for everything she’d done, several times over. “I paid for it.”  
“Yeah, you’re gonna pay for it. We’re gonna break you in half out there. And it’s gonna be all your fault.” Heather felt sadness and anger well in her chest, and suddenly, hands were pulling her back. She hadn’t been aware that she’d been digging her nails into her palms, but she saw now. She didn’t care. All she cared about was that Brett hated her. Always smiling, always laughing Brett hated her, couldn’t stand to look at her.  
  
Heather was sitting at home, the memory of Brett’s words echoing in her brain. She got up to take a shower, even though she’d had one after the game, but she never got there. Instead, she took out her razor and separated it into smaller bits. Now she was a werewolf, the evidence of the cuts could just be washed away. She just needed to feel something real. She looked at the razor for a long time. Eventually, her step-father found her like that, hunched over the sink and holding the razor.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Don’t worry. I didn’t do it.”  
“Have you done it before?”  
And she just couldn’t lie, not now. She didn’t have the energy. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She nodded. “Liam…”  
“I’m sorry.” She hung her head further as she sank to the floor. “It just…gets to be so much sometimes and I can’t…I need to feel **something**.”  
Her step-father’s arms were around her, then, holding her tightly, rubbing circles into her back. “It’ll be okay, Liam. You’ll be okay.”  
  
Heather pulled her hand back. She was shaking with the amount she’d drawn. She would have pulled back earlier, but she could feel that Liam needed this. Liam swayed on his feet, and Scott held him up.  
“Liam, are you okay?” Scott asked, concern lacing his voice. Liam nodded, but he buried his face in Scott’s chest.  
“I tried. I tried so hard, and he _hated_ me. That’s what I thought. He was my best friend, and he…I felt like he abandoned me. I needed him, and he left me.”  
Scott frowned and looked at his beta with sad eyes. “I’m sorry Liam. We’ll get him back. It’ll be okay. Then you can tell him how you feel.”  
Liam nodded and stood, still swaying a little. Then, he took a deep breath and sighed. “Thanks. I feel a lot better now.”  
Heather smiled. “Glad to help. But you wanted to know about sirens, so next on the list of things to know is our laws.”  
“One, we only take what we need, never any excess. We can go without feeding for up to three months. I can live off of what I took from you for probably four, though. I took a lot. I might even be able to stretch it and go for five. We don’t need much.”  
“Two, We never feed without asking, unless we’re about to die. I hadn’t fed in four months before today, so now was about the time when I would be hitting clubs, taking a bit off the top of their energy levels. It’s not much, and people just think they’re either drunk or swooning.”  
“Three, we never, ever, ever have sexual relations with anyone outside our own song. In some cases, even dating a non-siren is forbidden.”  
“Now, my informants tell me that Jenny has broken all of these laws. Sometimes, all at once. My main informant is a young girl named Sydney. She feels the most conflicted about breaking the laws. If you see her, a small red-head, tell me. Also tell me if you see a pair of boys, young, one of them skinny, light of skin and has brown hair. The other is tanned, muscled, Brazillian-looking. They’re two of mine. They left me and my song. They didn’t like how lawful I was. They sought the adventure of breaking those rules, of freedom. What they do not understand is that if they stay away for too long, I will be unable to accept them back into my song, which ensures their deaths.”  
“What will happen to them?” Scott asked.  
“They’ll become insatiable. They’ll need to feed constantly, just to survive. Then, even that won’t be enough. Their bodies will shrivel and they’ll basically become a pile of ash.”  
Liam looked shocked. “That…describe them again.”  
“Connor, the skinnier one, he’s about this tall.” She held her hand at about head height. “He’s Caucasian and has light brown hair and eyes.”  
“I saw him, at the club, along with the other one you described. They were dancing with Brett.”  
“Well, it good that you remember, but I really can’t do anything. If they’re with Jenny, they’ll be at her den. I can’t go into her den without her permission or hard proof that she’s doing something wrong. I will, however, give you this advice; no matter how you feel about him, you should not just charge in there. You can’t fight something you can’t touch.” Heather unfolded her wings and took to the skies. Liam and Scott watched her go.  
  
“Were they able to trace the text?”  
“No. They said that the phone had been turned off as soon as the text was sent, making it impossible to know where it came from.”  
“So, did you find out who Brett had his eyes set on?” He couldn’t help but feel hopeful that it was him. Brett was hot, and Mason had had a crush on him since he first saw him.  
“Yeah, it’s Liam. He writes poetry. It’s terrible.” Mason was slightly confused to hear that it was Liam, but he fixated on the poetry bit.  
“ _Poetry?_ Brett, writing poetry?”  
“Yeah. You can read it yourself when we meet again. I have them with me. I am _so_ not reading those poems ever again.” Mason could almost hear Stiles shiver.  
“Okay.” They all arrived at Scott’s house a few minutes later. Scott told them of what had happened.  
“When she touched me, it was like all of my memories were played back in my head. It was as if I was in the moment again. I think that’s why it’s so draining. You feel such a strong confluence of emotions in such quick succession.”  
Stiles and Mason looked at Liam in surprise. “That’s a lot of big words, kid. You’re doing well.” Stiles said.  
“I didn’t even know you knew what confluence meant.”  
“Thank you for having faith in my intelligence, guys.”  
“Always glad to help.” Stiles answered as he handed Mason four pieces of paper and a set of exercise books.  
Mason looked at one piece of paper. He read the first poem out loud, and Stiles covered his ears as he left the room.  
“His eyes are like a rainy day,  
His hair is like straw.  
His skin is like satin.  
His scent is like apples (since we’re friends again, I gave him apple scented soap for his birthday. I love it when he uses it)  
His lips are like cherries   
Bright and red, plump and juicy. (I love cherries)  
His smile is like the sun (it makes me dizzy when he smiles at me)  
He’s so beautiful, words cannot describe  
The elegance, the power, the grace.”  
Mason looked up from the page and called out. “You were right. Brett’s poetry _is_ terrible.”  
“You shouldn’t say that about someone’s poetry.” Liam said, taking the piece of paper from Mason. He took the others too. “If you can’t appreciate it, don’t read it.”  
Mason looked surprised at first, then a little guilty. “Sorry. You’re right.” He opened Brett’s mathematics exercise book and started to read the pages.  
_Date 2 nd February 2016_  
I gave Liam some soap that smells of apples. I smelled it on him yesterday. I know that he isn’t, but it just makes me think he’s mine. Mine, mine, mine, my Liam. Oh, god, I am so in love. Liam, Liam, Liam, Liam, he’s so beautiful, and sweet, and cute. I can’t stop thinking about him.  
3+x-(14x/3)=-22.6  
I don’t care about math. I care only about Liam. Beautiful, smart, angry Liam. The most gorgeous boy in all history. I wish Liam were still here, in my classes. Then, I could look at him all day. We used to share every class. Sometimes, we would accidentally touch. My skin would be set on fire. Then he’d smile, laugh. God, that laugh. I’ve wanted to kiss those cherry-red lips for so long. I bet they’re sweet. I bet they’re soft.  
There were black hearts scattered over the page in between the words. Mason turned the page over.  
_Date 4 th February 2016_  
I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry! I saw him kissing Hayden. HAYDEN! KISSING HAYDEN! Mason told me she punched him in the face! That it NOT a sign of love. Hayden, Hayden, Hayden. God, I feel so jealous! What makes her so special? So  fucking jealous! Why couldn’t it be me? Damn her. God fucking damn her.  
Liam took the book from Mason’s hands and frowned. He read the page and looked even more upset than he had before. Definitely his fault. He sat down on the couch, and Mason turned the page back to the 2nd of February. Liam took one look at the black hearts and folded the book closed.  
He felt responsible for Brett being jealous and dancing with those guys.  
“Liam, you know it’s not your fault, right?”  
“He’s gone…he’s gone, and he won’t be writing in his book, or be calm and helpful, or just a damn good friend anymore. No more Brett.”  
“We’ll find him. We’ll bring him back home. It’s going to be okay.”  
Liam tried to believe it, but he just couldn’t. This was his fault, and he couldn’t escape it. It didn’t stop him from trying, though. He sprang to his feet and rushed out the door. Mason frowned but let him go.  
  
Liam got to Brett’s house, running up to Brett’s window. He’d done it before; late night gaming visits were the best parts about being friends with Brett. He didn’t need to sneak in, of course; Brett had no parents to tell him off, but it was more fun this way.  
Friends. There was that word again. Liam didn’t know how he felt about that word. He knew he liked Brett, at least as a friend, but beyond that, he had no clue. He felt…he didn’t know what he felt.  
Liam dropped to Brett’s bedroom floor, half-expecting Brett to be there. He looked around, and when he didn’t find Brett, he felt his heart grow heavy in his chest. He crawled into Brett’s bed, surrounding himself with Brett’s scent. He inhaled deeply, feeling tears pricking at his eyes. He didn’t even try to hold them in. He let the tears come. He cried himself to sleep.   
  
Brett shrank back into the furthest corner when he heard the door to his cell open. Jenny walked in, her lips now almost black. She came with Raphael and someone else, whom Brett didn’t know.  
Raphael pulled Brett out of the corner and threw him face-down on the tiles. Brett didn’t have the strength to catch himself. Brett couldn’t move but for the shivering, and so he could not see the stronger moving behind him. He did, however, hear his trousers being unzipped. Rough hands pulled Brett’s hips back, forcing him to hold himself up on his hands and knees. He tried to crawl away, but those rough hands held him firmly in place.  
Brett inhaled sharply as something hard and unyielding entered him. He felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out. He felt blood run down the inside of his thigh. Tears started to warm his cheeks.  
“Please, please don’t.”  
“Saving yourself for someone _special_ , Brett? I know you’re a virgin, but that’s gonna change today. It’s not often we take someone so _attractive_ , Brett. That’s why Robin asked for you specifically, and why you can expect a lot more ‘visitors’. You get two today, but I think you can handle four, maybe five. You’re a lucky boy, Brett. I’ve even started a list, where people put their names if they wanna fuck you. Maybe, if I feel like it, I’ll show it to you. Mm, yeah. I can just imagine the expression on your face as you see just how many of my sirens wanna fuck you.”  
Brett gritted his teeth and bore the pain.  
Robin finished, and as soon as he’d left, Raphael was there. He was even bigger than Robin and Brett cried out as he was ripped apart just a little bit more.  
“Why?”  
“Because we can.” Jenny sounded nonchalant. Brett hung his head. He just wanted to die.


	4. Poetry

When Liam woke up, he went out into the living room.  
“Oh, Liam. I didn’t know you were here.”  
“Yeah.” Liam sank into the couch.  
“You know, don’t you?”  
“About how much he loves me? Yeah, I know. And I feel terrible about it. I mean,” Liam put his head in his hands. “I feel responsible for his disappearance. He was jealous of Hayden because I was dancing with her, so he started dancing with those boys. I…”  
“Liam, it wasn’t your fault. I’m sure those boys would have found some way to get him alone anyway. Don’t blame yourself.” Lori sat next to him and put her arms around him.  
“He was always there for me, always around to make me feel better, to ground me. When everyone else looked angry or upset, he was always smiling, shining bright like always. I relied on that. Except for that one time. I snapped, and…the way he looked at me…” Liam whimpered. “I thought he hated me.”  
Lori shook her head. “Brett’s not capable of hate. His heart’s too good.”  
Liam nodded. Lori sighed. “If you want, you can read his poetry. I actually suggest you do, especially these ones.” She handed him a small pile of papers, stained with wet blotches. “He writes about things that he never talks about to anyone else. Sometimes, he reads some to me, but he keeps most of them private. I think, though, that he’d want you to read them. Those he wrote when he was having trouble with his sexuality. He read most of those to me. He just needed to get it out, talk to someone about it.”  
“Do you want me to read some to you?”  
Lori thought about it, but eventually shook her head. “No. I don’t think I could handle it.”  
“Okay. Do you mind if I take these to Brett’s room?” Lori shook her head again. As soon as he’d closed the door, he heard a knock. He opened it, and Lori was there. He stepped aside and let Lori into the room. She lay down on Brett’s bed and Liam lay next to her.  
“Girls, boys, boys girls,  
Which do you like?  
But both quicken my heart,  
Both make me swoon,  
Both I dream at night.  
So how can I choose  
Which one I like  
When both please me so?”  
Lori turned to face the wall. Liam frowned, but continued.  
“How can it not fit?  
Not gay, not straight,  
But something in between.  
Not this, not that,  
But something else.  
What is it? What is it?  
This condition that I have?  
I want to fit in,  
To find my crowd,  
But how can I?  
There’s one for this, one for that,  
But none for me.”  
Lori started to sniff.  
“Are you okay?” Lori nodded.  
“Keep going. I want to hear them all.”  
Liam nodded. “Boys, boys, they’re all I like,  
But is it true? No!  
Girls, girls, they’re all I like,  
But is it true? No!”  
Liam could feel the anger of his words, the sorrow and confusion he felt. His eyes stung, but he kept reading for Lori. After a while, he could tell that she was crying, but he kept reading anyway. After he’d finished, he turned to her and put his arm around her. He’d done this before. When Lori was younger, she would come crying into Brett’s room, plagued by nightmares about the fire. She would curl into Brett’s chest, and he’d hold her, Liam behind her, rubbing circles into her back.  
Brett was such a great brother, a great friend. Liam was so sorry he couldn’t give Lori the same level of comfort.  
Liam spent the rest of the day reading poetry to Lori. They ended up curled up together, falling asleep in Brett bed, surrounded by his scent.  
Liam realized that they were in Brett’s bed, under his blankets, and yet, Brett wasn’t there. He felt his chest grow tighter and his breathing hitched. Hot tears slipped down his cheeks. Lori pressed closer to him, and he sank into her arms, sobbing. They fell asleep together like that. Liam’s throat hurt from reading so much, but he was glad he’d done it.


	5. The Past, Present and Future

"Has anyone seen Liam? He ran off a few nights ago and I haven't seen him since."

"He's probably at Brett's house still. I went to check on Lori, and I could smell Liam there. He was sad. Really sad. I was going to check on him, but I felt that maybe it would be better if I just left him to his thoughts."

"Okay, should we check on him?" Mason looked concerned.

Scott shook his head. "No. He'll come out when he's ready."

Mason frowned, but nodded. Scott was Liam's Alpha. He probably knew what was best for him.

  


Liam was sitting in Brett's bed, still reading his poems. He was caught up on the text of one particular poem.

 _They're gone, gone,_  
_flashed out, teleported_  
_Bang, crash, boom, and gone._  
_They've burned up,_  
_And they're taking my memories._  
_The lake,_  
_The house,_  
_Their smiles,_  
_Everything._  
_Come back_  
_Please come back._  
_I need you_

Liam sobbed. "Come back, please come back." He whispered. Just as he was turning his face back into the pillow, the sunlight hit something as the wind rippled the curtain. Liam's eyes were hit by the light. He slipped out of bed and picked up the object.

It was a necklace. There was a tag on it. _To Liam; Happy Valentines Day_. Valentines Day was next month, and Brett had been going to give this to him then. He wondered whether he would have done it in person, or as an anonymous gift. He really hoped it had been the first option, even if he had rejected him. He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down at the pendant.

It was an image of a wolf, made from blue, black and grey beads. The wolf's head was upturned, howling. Liam guessed that Brett had made it himself.

Liam was tempted to wear it now, but he resolved that Brett could give it to him himself when he came back. He didn't want to think about the other options, so he placed it back on the desk. He hung his head and sniffed, crawling back into bed. He hugged a pillow to his chest and inhaled. Already Brett's scent was disappearing.

Liam closed his eyes and drifted into a sleep plagued by nightmares.

  


Brett was plagued by his own nightmares. Whenever he went to sleep, he would wake up sore and often bleeding.He did as Sydney suggested and stored up the energy he received from the physical contact. He rarely remembered being raped, but he knew that that was what had happened.

Sydney came to visit him as often as possible. Brett knew that she never raped him; she was too good. She hadn't even had her first kiss.

He looked up with tense muscles when the door opened, but relaxed when he heard Sydney talking to him.

"Oh, you look terrible. When was the last time you had a shower?"

"When you were here last. I can't move on my own. It's too cold."

"Okay." She'd brought him some food. It was never enough, but Brett was grateful for it. It was bread this time, with a few slivers of dried beef. Brett ate greedily, but not too quickly. He'd learnt that lesson the hard way. Sydney undressed as he ate. She smiled. "I've been trying to contact Heather, but she's been quite busy lately. She's been keeping an eye out for an opportunity to let you escape. It's proving to be a difficult task."

Brett finished eating. He nodded. "You concentrating?" Sydney nodded. She reached out and helped Brett up. They walked to the shower and Brett turned it on. Sydney held Brett up as he relaxed underneath the warm flow of water. She helped him relax against the wall. He smiled gently at her, a rare occurrence. She drank in the warmth of that gesture. Without really being aware of it, she'd moved closer to him, leaning up, craning her neck.

Brett put a hand on her shoulder. "I know what you're trying to do, and I'm sorry if you thought I felt that way, but I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh." She sounded really hurt. "Well, she's lucky to have your love."

"She? Liam's not a girl."

"Liam?"

"The guy I'm in love with.”

Sydney’s face bore a confused expression before lighting up. “So you’re gay?”

"No, bisexual.”

Sydney’s face settled back into her confused expression. The water turned itself off, running on the timer. “What’s that?”

"What? How can you know what being gay means, but not bisexual?”

"Well, I only recently found out what being gay means, and that they even _can_ love someone of the same gender.”

"Well, being bisexual is like being gay, except that I also like girls.”

"Okay.” She sat down and Brett followed suit, pressing his side into hers, seeking her warmth. “Tell me about Liam.”

Brett pulled Sydney into his lap, and Sydney wrapped her arms around him. They didn’t care that they were naked; they were so used to it by now. Sydney had been nervous at first, and Brett hadn’t really had a choice. “Well, he has beautiful, soft blonde hair and dreamy, blue-grey eyes. He has silky smooth, milky skin and adorable, cherry-red lips.”

Sydney smiled. “Have you kissed them?”

"No. No, not yet. But I will, one day, when I get the courage to.”

Sydney was silent for a moment. “Do you think he loves you back?”

Brett thought about that for a while. “I don’t know.” He said eventually. “Sometimes, I think that maybe he does. Other times, I’m not so sure.”

Sydney looked up into Brett’s face. “Bring his memory to the forefront of your mind. Any memory.” Brett did, and he slipped his hand into hers. Sydney closed her eyes as she relived everything he’d seen, heard, smelled, tasted and felt.

_"Hey Liam.”_

_"Hey Brett.” The young boy was turning in his seat to face her. He was gorgeous. There was a warm smile plastered across his face._

  


_The memory skipped forward, and Liam was breathing heavily in front of a smashed-up car. The windows were broken, and there was ‘THIS IS YOUR FAULT’ scrawled on the side, scratched into the paint. Sydney felt a wave of despair and disappointment. Liam looked directly at her. All the hope in his eyes disappeared when he saw her face._

_"Brett? Brett, please, you’re always smiling.” She could smell Liam’s anguish, but she still couldn’t bring herself to forgive him. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, her heart hanging heavy in her chest._

_"Not this time, Liam. This is…” Her throat closed over. If she said any more, she would break down completely. She knew he had anger issues, but this was way out. **At least he didn’t kill anyone.** Tears started to slip down Liam’s cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to wrap him in her arms, but this was so violent, so unlike him. She hung her head and turned away._

  


_The memory skipped again, and Sydney was standing outside an office. She was listening intently. “Liam has intermittent explosive disorder. We’re doing everything we can. Please, don’t expel him. It won’t look good for him. We can just take him out, transfer him. Please. A month is all I ask.”_

_"I’m sorry. I understand how hard this is, but even in a month…so much can happen. I hope you understand. We cannot afford for this to happen again. Our hand is forced.”_

  


Sydney broke away from Brett. “He did that and you still love him?”

Brett shrugged. “He can’t help it.”

Sydney frowned. “Such a good person doesn’t deserve to be here. I will try _everything_ to get you out. I’ll find him. I’ll tell him where you are. I _will_ get you out.”

  


Scott knocked on Brett’s bedroom door. “Liam?” He called softly.

"Go away.” Came the muffled response.

"Liam, it’s been a week. You need to come out sometime. Besides, you have a visitor.”

The door opened. “Is it Brett?” There was hope on his puffy red face. Scott took the opportunity to pull Liam from the doorway.

"No. But she claims to know where he is, and how to get him out.”

"Okay.” Scott frowned when Liam slipped around him. He was very thin and pale.

"Have you been eating? Drinking? Doing anything at all?” Scott peered at Liam’s face, but he kept walking. He pulled Liam back and held his face in one hand. “Are you okay?”

Liam sighed. “I have been eating and drinking. Lori made sure I did, and I’ve been reading poetry, so no, I’m not okay. In fact, I’ve…kind of been writing some too.” Scott’s frown deepened. He pulled Liam into a hug, hyper aware that he could feel every single one of Liam’s ribs.

Scott pulled Liam into the living room, where Sydney was waiting. She visibly recoiled from his gaunt visage. “Gosh, you look even worse than Brett does.”

Liam stiffened at his name. “How do you know for sure where Brett is?” He snapped.

Sydney flinched at his tone, then sighed. “I’ve never done this before, but I know we can.” She extended her hand and Liam tentatively took it.

_Brett was lying, naked, on the floor in a tiled room. He closed the door behind himself._

  


_They were now standing underneath the lukewarm spray of a shower. Brett was leaning against the wall, smiling. He felt himself move closer, and craned his neck up towards his face. He felt Brett’s hand on his shoulder._

_"I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m sorry if you thought I felt that way, but I’m in love with someone else.”_

_His heart sank. “Oh.” His voice sounded, even to his ears, positively dejected. “Well, she’s lucky to have your love.”_

_Brett frowned down at him. “She? Liam’s not a girl.”_

_"Liam?”_

_Brett’s expression shifted and went distant. His eyes glazed over a bit. “The guy I’m in love with.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips._

_Liam felt his mind flounder for a bit. **Guys can love other guys?** Then, his mind settled on another memory._

  


_Liam was cowering in front of an intimidating woman. She had dark hair and wild eyes. Her lips were plum red. Her head was thrown back, and she was laughing. It was a bone-chilling sound. “Of course she doesn’t know what homosexual means, Raphael. No matter how many ways you put it, she won’t understand. Go ahead, try.”_

_Liam hid his head in his chest as he was called a string of names he didn’t understand. The woman kicked him and he shrank back even further._

  


_The memory shifted back to Brett. He was sitting in his lap. They were both still naked. “Well, he has beautiful, soft blonde hair, and dreamy, blue-grey eyes. He has silky smooth, milky skin and adorable, cherry-red lips.”_

_"Have you kissed them?”_

_"No. No, not yet. But I will, one day, when I get the courage to.”_

_"Do you think he loves you back?”_

_There was a pause. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I think he does. Other times, I’m not so sure.”_

Liam puled away. A few tears slipped out of his eyes. “You asked if he thought I loved him back.”

Sydney nodded.

"If you see him again, tell him I do. I do love him back, and I will, forever. Even if he dies down there.”

"Then tell me like you’re saying it to him. I’ll give him the memory when I see him next. I think it’d help him to see you, to hear you say this.”

Liam nodded and squared his shoulders. “Brett, I just…I wanted to tell you…how much I-“ His voice choked off as he wiped away tears. “I love you.” He whispered, and wrapped Sydney in a hug. He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. He took a shaky breath. “I saw how they treated you. It was terrible.”

"It’s not as bad as what they do to the non-sirens.”

"Why is he in that room?”

"The cold messes with his ability to shift. By keeping him unclothed, it makes him unable to store energy as effectively. He is, as you felt, very weak.”

Liam tossed himself onto the couch. He bit his nails, a nervous habit he never really got over. “Why come now?”

"Things are changing. A larger number of the sirens under Jenny are feeling more and more uncomfortable by the way we’re treating them. A group of us are trying to get a set of prisoners out; two girls, two boys, and Brett. If we can get just one of them out, Heather will have enough evidence to challenge Jenny. Then, we just have to hope that she wins.”

"And if she doesn’t?” Liam asked.

Sydney winced. “Then I’ll be forced back into Jenny’s song, along with all of the other rebelling sirens. Then, Jenny will claim all of Heather’s sirens, dragging them into her song too. She’ll grow stronger. She’ll be harder to beat.”

"Then why don’t I just challenge her?” Scott asked.

"Even if you could, the same stakes would be offered. Her song, or your pack. And even if you did win, there’s no guarantee that the sirens would flourish under your care. The reason a song works is because a mother or father siren takes care of its children, feeding us if we’re weak, teaching us how to feed ourselves. We’re like baby birds. Only occasionally is one of us strong enough to become a mother or father siren. We need the mother or father to help keep us alive. It would be better if you just allowed Heather handle this.”

"Why is it one and one combat? Couldn’t two or three sirens challenge Jenny?”

Sydney put her face in her hands. “Aside from being crippling to Heather’s pride, Heather is the only one with even remotely enough power to challenge her and survive. If any others tried, we’d end up a bloody mess. Let Heather handle this. Although, before going in, she might need to feed from one of you, to keep her strength up. Just…so you’re ready for it, the first round is basically a screaming match. They’ll crouch themselves down, open up their lungs, and screech at each other. That round may or may not have a winner. The next round is basically peacocking. They spread their wings, show how glossy their feathers are, how bright and healthy. That round definitely has a winner. Then, they fly as high as they can without fainting. Again, definite winner. Finally, they fold their wings back and extend talons, which they’ll use to claw each other with until one stands victor over the other. Even if Heather wins the first three rounds, if she doesn’t win the last, she doesn’t win anything. She’ll be left to die.”

Sydney didn’t stay much longer. Liam was feeling quite raw, having seen the state Brett was in. He turned to go back into Brett’s room, but Scott stopped him and pulled him into another hug. “You know I support you totally, being with him, right?”

Liam nodded.

"You’re going to have to go home at some point. Your parents are getting worried.”

"I’ll go now. Can you…?”

"Of course.”

  


Liam walked in, and his mother rushed to him. “Oh, Liam. Where have you been? You look terrible.”

"My boyfriend’s gone missing. No note, no anything. I’ve been at his house, in his bed. His family don’t know where he is, either.”

Liam’s mother frowned at him. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

Liam sniffed. “Well, technically, he’s not…we’ve just been flirting a lot, and we’ve been on a couple of dates, but I…I really like him. I know he feels the same. He writes poetry about me.” A small smile touched his lips before disappearing.

Liam’s mother sighed and sat on the couch with him. “Heartbreak hit us all, sweetheart.”

Liam buried his face in his mother’s side. “We never even got to kiss. We barely even held hands. And I don’t have anything of his. I don’t know what to do, mum. What if…what if he doesn’t come back?”

"You’ll have to figure that out on your own, sweetheart.” She rubbed circles into his back. Liam didn’t even notice that he was falling asleep.


	6. The Flipside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took almost a month, but I had other stories I was updating, and I needed time to gather my thoughts about this, but it should be good.

Brett tensed as the door to his cell opened. He relaxed when he saw that it was just Sydney. She smiled at him brightly. "Good news. Heather has a plan. And...give me your hand." Brett extended his arm towards her and she took it. Brett almost sobbed when he saw Liam. He looked completely distraught.

_"Brett, I just...I wanted to tell you...how much I-" His voice choked and he wiped away tears. "I love you." He whispered finally._

Sydney pulled her hand away. Brett felt a wave of conflicting emotions. He was ecstatic that Liam liked him back. But, he also felt despair for, now that he knew, he couldn't express his joy because he was trapped down here, and he might never see Liam again. That thought brought on more emotions that he wasn't quite ready to acknowledge. He felt a tad angry because it had taken him being kidnapped, raped and, essentially, tortured for him to realise his emotions. He also felt guilty because Liam had now realised how much they loved each other, and now they might not ever see each other again.

Sydney frowned at his reaction. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I...I _am_ I just...there are so many things going through my head right now. Do you think you could...come back? Just a few hours."

"Okay." She kissed his temple quickly and left the room.

Brett curled in on himself and cried. He sobbed until he had no tears left. "Liam." He whispered, knowing full well that Liam couldn't hear him.

  


Sydney cursed herself.Of course he wouldn't be happy with that news. How could he be, when he was trapped down here? "Stupid, stupid, stupid." She open the door to her room. She'd give him three hours. That would be enough time. If he needed any more, they would be in trouble. She needed to inform him of the plan, and soon. His life depended on it.

As she sank onto her mattress, she brought forth the memories Brett had given her. She remembered what he'd thought; 'At least he didn't kill anyone.'

She also brought forward the memories that Heather had given her; Liam, sitting in that office, telling the woman everything, his mother sitting beside him; the feeling of his chest tightening as he watched Brett disappear, whispering 'but I need you'; the feeling of Brett's arms around his waist, his voice soothing his anger; and what he'd said after giving Heather his memories; 'I tried. I tried so hard and he _hated_ me. That's what I thought. He was my best friend, and he...I felt like he abandoned me. I needed him and he left me.'

Sydney sighed. Brett might not like it, but those words might provide the encouragement he needed. She got up and went to his room. She felt a wave of guilt so strong she almost left when she saw Brett, broken and shivering on the cold tiles. "Brett, I know you might not want them, but I'm going to give you more memories. They're going to be painful, extremely so, but I think you need them."

Brett hesitantly slipped his hand into hers.

  


Liam sat upright, rubbing at his eyes. He never thought he could cry so much. He checked his phone. He had a message from Scott. **We have a plan. Call me.**

"Scott?"

"Liam. You're up. Come over. Everyone else is here. We're going to go through the plan, alright?"

"Okay." Liam had a quick shower and pulled some fresh clothes on. He dumped his old ones in the wash on his way out the door. Brett was still a subject heavy on his mind. He walked to Scott's place quickly, not wanting to exert himself by running. He wanted to save all of his energy for ripping apart whoever had stolen Brett from him. He arrived at Scott's house about an hour after his call with Scott.

Mason greeted him at the door and gave him a big hug. "You alright?"

"No. Not at all. You?"

"I'm doing pretty well, but I've been worried about you. Scott told me about what happened yesterday. Do you really love him?"

"Yeah. I really do, Mason. It just really sucks that it took something like this for me to realise it. Thick sculls don't always come in handy, you know?" Mason chuckled at his attempt at humour.

"Everyone else has been worried about you too. I just hope this plan works. It all sounds a bit risky, if you ask me." Mason was covering it well, but Liam could tell that he was saddened by the fact that it wasn't him Brett was in love with. Liam stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry that it's not you that he likes. I know how much you liked him. I just...I don't want you to feel like I've...stolen him...or something. Promise to not get jealous."

"I can't make a promise like that Liam, but... I'll try. I know you're not stealing. But you should tell Hayden before she-" Mason was cut off when Hayden rushed forward and leapt into Liam's arms. She kissed him almost violently and Liam had to fight to stay on his feet with her entire weight leaned against him.

"Has...uh, has no one told you what's going on?"

Hayden frowned. "They told me that Brett went missing, taken by something called sirens, and that you were rather upset by that."

"Yeah. Haden, I'm rather upset by that because...well, because I'm in love with him. I...what I'm trying to get at is that...while you're lovely, I...I, um-"

"You're breaking up with me." She didn't look to concerned. In fact, she looked rather relieved. Liam soon found out why. There was another guy there. Liam had seen her standing next to him before she'd bounded over, but she moved closer to him than before. He knew that she wouldn't have cheated on him, but they obviously had something going on.

"Hey, name's Will. Nice to meet you." He had an English accent, freckled face and dark blonde hair. His eyes were crystal blue. His smile was full and took up his entire face. He held out his hand and Liam shook it.

"Nice to meet you too, Will." Liam returned the handshake, genuinely happy that Hayden had found someone that seemed so nice.

"This, uh, isn't going to cause any problems, is it?" He gestured between Hayden and himself.

"Not at all. I'm happy for you guys."

"Cool." Scott entered the room.

"Hey, Liam. Good to see you. Now...about this plan."

  


Brett gasped as Sydney pushed memories into his mind. They were slightly fuzzy, having been passed between two people. It was a strange experience, since he was looking down at himself. _He knelt down and said ‘that was perfect. Thanks dude.” He stood and ran away, back in the game of lacrosse._

  


_Brett was panting in front of a smashed-up car, feeling utter remorse. He felt a flutter of hope as he caught sight of himself. He turned, expecting him to tell him it would all be okay, but he was met with his expression of disappointment. “Brett? Brett, please, you’re always smiling.”_

_“Not this time, Liam. This is…” Tears were glistening in his eyes._ Brett gave up trying to understand where his consciousness was, and what he was looking at. He accepted the memories as if he were Liam, feeling what he'd felt and utterly hating himself for how anguished Liam was.

_He sat in an office, looking around. He was very nervous. A woman walked in. He poured his heart out to this woman, and once he was done, she nodded. “It’s intermittent explosive disorder, or IED. We usually prescribe medication to balance out the hormones.”_

_“We’ll take it.” His mother said quickly. His heart was sinking in his chest. All he could think about was the way Brett had looked at him._

  


_“Brett, I’m sorry. I know it’s unforgiveable, but it…they called it intermittent explosive disorder. I can’t help it.”_

_“I’m sorry, Liam, but I have to get to class.” Brett pushed past him and he whirled around, holding his elbow. ___

_“Do you know what the worst part of this is?”_

_“What, Liam?”_

_“The constant anxiety. The constant worry that I’ll do it again.”_

_Brett’s head sunk below his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Liam. Not now.” He felt like his chest was caving in. He stared at Brett’s back, disappearing into the crowd of bodies._

_“But I need you.” He whispered._ **If only I'd listened...maybe then he wouldn't have thought...**

  


_He was pushed against the lockers. There were three boys from the lacrosse team blocking his way._

_“I don’t have time for this, guys, I have to get to class. I already paid for what I did.”_

_“Oh, yeah, you’re going to. Hold him down, boys.” He was punched several times in the stomach. He felt a rising tide of animalistic rage flow through his body, giving his limbs strength. He broke free of the other boys’ grips and punched one in the face. He tried desperately to reign the anger in, but it was completely taking him over, riding his body like a horse. He was pushed underneath the weight of the waves. Suddenly, Brett’s hand was on his shoulder, and then his arms were around his waist._

_“Liam, Liam. Calm down.” His voice grounded him, and he calmed immediately. He saw what he’d done and he felt the tide of anger replaced by one of regret._

_“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. They cornered me and I blacked out.”_

_He felt Brett’s arms retract from around his waist, and he tried to hold onto him, but Brett was stronger. He turned around, but he’d already disappeared._ Brett's emotions started mingling with the memories, and he pushed them back to Sydney. The feeling of disappointment along with resignation; this was, apparently, who Liam was. Who he _really_ was. That was before he'd overheard about Liam's IED, before he knew what it was. He felt the remorse after he found out, what his actions had probably done to him. He felt a sob rising in his chest. But, he also felt what he'd felt after hearing it; that Liam was stronger, better than that.

  


_He was marching out to meet Brett at his school’s bus. He called out to him. “Brett!” He stopped in front of him. “I just wanted to say, have a good game.” He held out his hand, and was desperately hoping that Brett would just take his hand, and all of this would be behind them._

_To his despair, Brett laughed. “That’s cute, Liam. Is that what they told you to say in anger management? Apologize and everything’s fine? You demolished coach’s car.”_ Brett whimpered at the memory of those words. He didn't want those words to be so prominent in his memory. They were meant to convey that he was disappointed with Liam's actions.

_He felt his anger growing again. He’d already paid for everything he’d done, several times over. “I paid for it.”_

No, no, don't. Don't say it! _“Yeah, you’re gonna pay for it. We’re gonna break you in half out there. And it’s gonna be all your fault.” He felt sadness and anger well in his chest, and suddenly, hands were pulling him back. He hadn’t been aware that he’d been digging his nails into his palms, but he saw now. He didn’t care. All he cared about was that Brett hated him. Always smiling, always laughing Brett hated him, couldn’t stand to look at him._ **No! No, never hated you. Not at all. You were too wonderful, too perfect in my mind, for this to touch you. It was me. My standards were too high. I was ignorant.** He tried to get Liam to understand, but no matter what he said, what he thought, he couldn't change the past.

  


_He was sitting at home, the memory of Brett’s words echoing in his brain. He got up to take a shower, even though he’d had one after the game, but he never got there. Instead, he took out his razor and separated it into smaller bits. Now he was a werewolf, the evidence of the cuts could just be washed away. He just needed to feel something real. He looked at the razor for a long time. Eventually, his step-father found him like that, hunched over the sink and holding the razor._ **He did this because of me? No, no, please don't. Don't do it, Liam. Please.**

_“What are you doing?” His step-father sounded concerned. He didn't look up, just answered to the sink, head hanging low._

_“Don’t worry. I didn’t do it.”_

_“Have you done it before?”_ **Please say no. Please say no. Please, please, Liam.**

 _He just couldn’t lie, not now. He didn’t have the energy. Tears slipped down his cheeks. He nodded. “Liam…”_ **No, no, no, no, no. Liam. Please, no.**

_“I’m sorry.” He hung his head further as he sank to the floor. “It just…gets to be so much sometimes and I can’t…I need to feel **something**.”_

_His step-father’s arms were around him, then, holding him tightly, rubbing circles into his back. “It’ll be okay, Liam. You’ll be okay.”_

  


_“Liam, are you okay?” Scott asked, concern lacing his voice. He nodded, but he buried his face in Scott’s chest._

_“I tried. I tried so hard, and he hated me. That’s what I thought. He was my best friend, and he…I felt like he abandoned me. I needed him, and he left me.”_

  


"Why would you show that to me?" Brett cried. "How did you think that would help? That just makes me feel worse, so much worse. Your abilities...they're horrible! They don't help people!" He'd been standing, shouting at her, and she shrank back from him. "It feels worse..." He felt his eyes overflowed with tears and he sank to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Liam. I'm so sorry." He looked up at Sydney, now wary of her. "Why?"

I thought that showing you those things would make you want to tell him yourself. So, are you ready to hear the plan? Are you ready to get back to him to tell him everything?"

Brett kept crying for a few more minutes before swallowing, his gaze hardening. There was a fire in his eyes, and Sydney knew that she'd done the right thing. "What do you want me to do?"


	7. Laying Down the Plan

"We're going to get you, and only you, in, because you're small enough to get by unnoticed. You'll meet Sydney in there. She'll take you to the other rooms first, and then she'll take you to Brett. You won't have enough time to talk or anything; just focus on getting out. I know that's cruel, but that's the way it has to be."

Liam felt his heart throb in his chest, but he nodded. "Okay. Whatever I can do."

"Sydney will then lead you all out, where she'll call out Jenny so that Heather can fight her, with the evidence presented clear before her. We'll be standing out there with clothes. Now, Heather tells me that you'll be getting out one were-cyote, one human, one were-jaguar, one phoenix and one were-leopard. And, of course, one were-wolf; Brett."

"Isn't that too many? We'll be caught for sure." Liam was nervous. He'd rather just get Brett and get out. He thought about how Sydney had shown Brett; scared, naked and shivering. He'd definitely like to save anyone else who was being treated like that, but he'd rather that Brett was safe first.

"Heather said that she needs evidence of at least one human and one were-creature. She also said that since phoenixes are such rare, 'divine' creatures, it's an extra crime to keep one under lock and key. Be ready for that one, by the way. Heather said that the room she'd be kept in would be like ice."

Heather walked in. "Phoenixes feel much more pain and anguish than other creatures; they are formed because their backgrounds are harsh. They often have horrid families who abandon them. I've heard of some circumstances where a born were-creature will become a phoenix in the face of hard trials. It takes...a rare gem of a person to become a phoenix. That's why I want her out, first try. If I fail, which I probably will, I want her well out of harm's way."

Liam had to admit that lifting her from further suffering was a top priority. "Okay."

"Thank you. Seriously, this is...we've been waiting for an opportunity like this for years. It was only recently that we decided that we needed to take immediate action. Jenny, two years ago, started taking humans. She was only a few months into being the song mother. Her father had died under...unusual circumstances. I suspect that she killed him. In any case, while taking humans and holding them against their will is wrong, it, sadly, does not warrant any action. However, in the last three months, Jenny started luring small were-creatures to her nest, where she, and she alone, would feed off of them. Being so young, their strong emotions left them almost instantly with...tragic results."

"She...she killed them?" Hayden looked horrified. Liam glanced around and saw that everyone else bore the same expression.

"Yes. And doing so left her lips so purple they were almost black. Taking a life, it changes you, and it turned her into a monster. She'd always been power-hungry, but since taking the emotions of that first child, she became insatiable. She got her brothers and sisters to start taking their lives too. They all became more and more powerful. Jenny started taking bigger were-creatures and feeding off of them. Because they could replenish their health more easily than humans, they lasted longer. Jenny really took a chance with that phoenix. Phoenixes are powerful creatures. If Jenny could take one down..." Heather shivered. "It doesn't look good. If...if I fail, you need to have taken Brett and the others far away. She'll try to stake claim over them. The reason I want the others there is so that when you get the first batch of prisoners out, and I challenge Jenny with that evidence, someone else can go in. The chances of winning against Jenny are so low, it's not even worth thinking about. As such, I want everyone we can get out, out."

Scott took over. "Liam, when you've rescued the first five, you should come here. They'll be safe. Then, wait for Stiles to come with the next few. Then, go back to the den and take some more people. I know you'll want to spend time with Brett, but we need your head in the game, okay?"

"Okay." Liam closed his eyes and sighed. This was going to be to be hard, but he'd do it for those who needed it.

  


"Liam will be sneaking in first, where he'll meet me. Then, I'll take him to the others' rooms first. You'll need to be ready to move. I'll come by tomorrow morning. When we come, we won't have long. I know that's not what you want, but we need to keep moving. You can run into his arms of whatever, but not much else. That'll have to wait for later. Scott and the others will be waiting outside with clothes. Then, Heather will use you as evidence of Jenny's crimes and challenge her. After that, Liam will take you and the others to Scott's house, where he'll wait for Stiles' arrival. He'll then come back here and get more people."

Brett was sad that he wouldn't be able to spend more time with Liam, but he nodded anyway; at least he was getting away from this wretched place. "I understand. I'll be ready."

"Awesome. I'll see you later." Sydney left and Brett sank into his thoughts.

"Liam, my love. Tomorrow. We only have to wait one more day. My little bucket of sunshine." Brett smiled as he thought about Liam. His heart called for him. His wolf howled for him. His arms ached to be wrapped around him. His lips begged to be attached to his. He also, briefly, thought about Lori, his precious sister. He thought about how worried she'd be. His thoughts of her were soon pushed aside by thoughts of Liam.

'I love you.' These words Liam had whispered to him echoed in his consciousness.

"I love you, too." He whispered back.

  


Heather shook out her wings and flew over the town of Beacon Hills. It was a simply beautiful town, with blissfully ignorant occupants. Even though she'd fed from Liam a few days earlier, his despair was ebbing away her reserves of food. She'd need to feed again, and soon. She beat her wings again, taking her higher. Flying wasn't helping her hunger. She would definitely not be able to face Jenny tomorrow. She smiled to herself as she settled in an alleyway to a coffee shop. That was, after all, why she had a backup plan.

She entered the coffee shop after concealing her wings. She ordered a coffee from a young woman struggling with her sexual identity. As their fingers brushed, she felt flashes of memories flood her consciousness. She smiled at the girl, who looked mildly shocked, and thanked her for her drink. She paid, and their fingers touched again.

_Heather lay in her bed, hand between her legs as she looked at a beautiful woman. She then switched the browser tab and saw a handsome man. She immediately felt repulsed by this image, attractive though he was, and switched to the image of the beautiful woman. She was smirking deviously, with a hint of playfulness. She tipped her head back and lifted her hand to caress the mystery woman's cheek. She heard the front door open and snapped her laptop shut, pulling her fingers away from her warm, wet entrance._

The girl blushed deeply as she handed back the change and excused herself. Heather smiled to herself as she felt her hunger subside. She'd need to feed again today - this contact wasn't enough - but she hoped that she'd helped the girl out, at least a little. She exited the coffee shop and was greeted by a tall, handsome young man.

"Can you help me again? I need your touch. I really need help dealing with this."

Heather smiled and extended her hand. The man took it and pulled her into an embrace. Heather allowed him to do this as she absorbed his memories. He was forceful; thrusting the same ones on her again as he had last time. She allowed him to do this too. She needed the food, and he needed the help. He tortured himself by going over these events in vivid detail, remembering everything he felt in order to figure himself out. He never talked to anyone about it, because he was afraid of being wrong.

_Heather sat alone in her room and looked down at this **thing** , this **abomination** in between her legs. She touched it, and felt a wave of despair and hatred as it responded to her touch. She walked to her closet and took out a skirt she'd asked her best friend to buy. She'd given it to her as a gift, not really sure why she'd wanted a skirt. She pulled it on and breathed deeply, allowing the fabric to sway against her legs. She smiled to herself as she reached down to slip her fingers into her...penis. She yanked her hand away in disgust. Her unwanted sex ached for her touch, but she refused it for as long as she could, shifting and twirling in the fabric that made her feel so alive, so feminine. She eventually couldn't ignore it any more. It throbbed between her legs. She could not deny that she felt so aroused by the skirt she wore. She slipped out of the light fabric, instantly aching to be in it again, and hung it up with care, pushing it to the back of her closet. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was someone else's; someone she cared about, someone like...Shane._

_She imagined Shane lying against her skin, imagined him kissing her and having beautiful, wonderful sex with her. She imagined that she was feeling the pleasure for him, and she moaned his name. She swallowed deeply and pushed her face into her pillow. Her hand came up and wrapped around her neck, and it was that steady pressure that finally made her body respond. She shuddered and eyed the mess she'd made with distaste. She cleaned it up and put the cloth in the wash._

  


_Heather was now sitting with her crush, Shane, and she fidgeted nervously. She talked to him, and he talked back. She couldn't tell if he liked her or not, but it wouldn't matter anyway; she wanted him to love her as she really was, not with this stupid body, with this stupid-_

Heather pulled away.

"What are you doing?" Andy made to make contact with her again. She stepped back.

"This needs to stop, Andy. You come to me every month and thrust upon me the same images. You should be able to figure it out by now. You know what you are, you just don't know whether to tell anyone about it. You should. I get nothing from you anymore; this is just a waste of my time, and yours. You're young, Andy. Go out and tell people; find someone who'll actually help you. This is just making you more depressed. Yes, it's important to keep these things in mind, but you're dwelling on them so much, it's torture. You're depressed because you're sitting on your hands. Go and deal with this like a proper lady, or stay a male the rest of your life. It's up to you, but you need to make that choice. Don't come to me again." She stepped around him and left him standing there, looking hurt. He turned away and started walking, slowly, back home.

Heather doubled back and followed him. He entered his house, and sat in the living room. His father came home first, and Heather watched as he sat down, anger clearly written on his face. His mother was next, and she sat beside her husband. She listened as he told his parents about everything; the dreams, the depression; the skirt; his crush, and watched as his father grew angrier and angrier. Just as his father was about to raise his hand to his daughter, Heather calmly opened the door and stepped inside.

"Who are you?" He growled, already angry.

"A friend of your daughter's."

Andy's father turned to her, a flash of violence in his eyes. "Ain't got no daughter. Just a son."

Heather stepped into his space before slipping around him. She pulled Andy to his feet, then his mother. She'd seen all of the abuse they'd endured at this man's hand. She led them to the door before turning on her heel. "Then you deserve no children. And from what I've seen, you deserve no wife, either." She opened the door and led Andy and his mother out onto the street. "There's a safe house two doors down. You'll see the sign. Go, he won't find you." She turned to Andy. "And you'll get another skirt."

They thanked her and left. Heather smiled to herself; justice was served. Her job for today was done.

  


Sydney sat back and watched Jenny pace the room. She was doing that a lot of late; Sydney suspected that she knew of what was going on. She herself could sense something stirring. Her siren senses told her this. She watched as Jenny pursed her lips, the signal that she'd come to a decision.

"Double the guard. Tonight. I need everyone on high alert. Sydney, I want you with me. All night. I sense you have some part in this, but I don't know what."

Jenny beckoned her and walked away. Sydney followed at her heels, already preparing herself for getting out of this one. Jenny set herself down on her bed, fluffy and decorated with linen of such dark red it was almost black, a running theme in the den. Jenny drank in the sight of Sydney as she swayed her hips a little.

"You didn't really mean that, did you, that you think I have some part in this?"

Jenny sighed. "I really don't know what you're capable of, Sydney. I know how...how _powerful_ you are, but you hide it so well. I...I recall what I did to you the other week. You know it was just a show, right?" Jenny stood and slipped Sydney's shirt off. "I didn't think they'd understand...us."

"I know. I don't hold it against you. You make it easier on me. They would not be so gentle if they knew I was your right-hand woman." Jenny's black lips curled upwards into a smile.

"You won't betray me, right?" Jenny sat back onto her bed and Sydney stood over her, pressing their lips together.

"I thought we said no promises. You're going against your own rules."

"I know. I just..." Jenny pulled Sydney onto her lap and kissed her neck. "I really care about you, you know?"

"You don't care about anybody." Sydney cursed herself when she saw the hurt in Jenny's eyes. "You were...Jenny, I-"

"Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known...just..." Jenny bit her lip, unsure of how to continue.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sydney started to climb off Jenny's lap, gathering her top off the floor.

"No." Jenny pulled Sydney back onto her lap. "That's one thing I'm sure of. I'll never tire of your...company." She was quiet for a moment. "I wish you'd feed with me." Jenny sighed against her neck, using her fingers to push her hair back. "You'd feel so much better if you just gave in to our ancient calling. You could even lead with me. They'd never challenge you."

Sydney sighed, ready for this argument to occur yet again. "I don't want their obedience to be out of fear, Jenny. I want it to be out of respect and love. You know that."

"My sirens respect and love me."

"Do they, Jenny? Do you love and respect them?"

Jenny settled back onto her bed, stretching her arms above her head. "We have this conversation every time, Sydney. I won't change my opinion. I don't need to love and respect them."

"They call them song 'mothers' for a reason, Jenny. And besides, if you don't want to have this argument, you shouldn't bring it up. My standpoint won't change either." Sydney rolled over onto her own back, taking her bra off in the process.

Jenny rolled on top of her and kissed her shoulder. "I have no doubt that you could be a mother yourself, Sydney. even I have no idea what bird you are, and I definitely don't know what emotion you draw from. I know that you can do it so softly that no one notices. You're powerful."

"Jenny, please, not tonight. I just want to relax. It's been too long since we last did this."

Jenny sighed. "I agree." Jenny knelt above Sydney and took her shirt off. Sydney smiled up at her and ran her hands over her taught stomach. Her hands pushed up her lithe form to cup her breasts.

"You look beautiful like this." Jenny smiled and kissed Sydney deeply, hands pushing down the tops of her trousers. She undid the button and slipped her hand into her underwear.

"I can tell you think that. You get so wet for me." She brought her fingers to her lips. She closed her eyes as she appreciated the taste. "And you look good too, spread out for me." Her fingers dipped back into Sydney's wet cavern and massaged over her clit. Sydney threw her head back and moaned. 'Yeah? That good?"

"Yeah." Sydney gasped as Jenny slithered down her body, dragging her trousers down her smooth legs. Jenny never did this. Jenny smiled up at her as she slid her tongue in, lapping at her juices.

 _My God, does she actually care about me?_ She felt a thrill run through her, even as she struck it down. _No, Jenny's a bad person. She deserves what we're going to do to her tomorrow._ It was hard to keep that trail of thought when Jenny's tongue and fingers were giving her so much pleasure, but she called to mind images of all those children, lying lifeless and drained.

_Sydney wailed in horror when she saw the first body. It couldn't have been older then three years old. It's eyes were open and it's mouth yawned in a never-ending scream. "No! What have you done?" Jenny stepped out into the clearing to meet her._

_I took his anger, Sydney. All of it."_

_"In one go? How could you? Why?" Sydney was reeling. She had no idea why Jenny would want to do this. Taking and holding humans against their will was bad enough, but this..._

_"So I could become more powerful, Sydney! Who wouldn't want to be more powerful, Sydney? I can rule with an iron fist. I'll be the mother they need."_

_"It's not worth it if you have to take the lives of children! Of anybody! See, even your lips have changed colour!" Sydney was distraught. Sure, she'd known that Jenny was power-hungry, and cruel, but she'd never thought she'd go this far._

_"Sydney, this...this is temporary. Once I'm strong enough, I'll never need to feed again."_

_"And how many people are you willing to kill to get to that point? You're willing to let your lips turn completely black? Then, everyone will know. They'll all know that you killed. And for what? **Power**?" Sydney could feel tears welling in her chest, but she forced them down. If Jenny was going to be heartless, so was she. She was going to play along with whatever, but she'd never take a life. And, when she had the right time, she'd take Jenny down, love be damned._

_"You know what? Fine. It's either power or me. What do you choose?"_

_Jenny looked pained. "You, of course." Sydney was under no illusions. She knew that Jenny wouldn't stop. Whenever Jenny came back and her lips were darker, she'd exit the room, go to her own bedroom and cry. She would never let Jenny see her tears ever again; she'd made her choice, and it was now time for Sydney to do the same._


	8. Phase 1

Heather went to check on Andy the next day, finding her at the same place as yesterday. A kindly old lady opened the door when she knocked, and she announced that she was a friend of Andy's. Andy came to the door and showed her in. She took her to her room.

"Thanks for what you did yesterday, Heather. I've...I've chosen a name for myself. I'm Isabella. My mum's already booked me in to see a therapist, and he seems like a nice guy. He called yesterday. We went out and bought dresses." She spun around and the hem of Isabella's skirt flared around her legs.

"That's good. I'm glad. I'm happy for you Isabella." Isabella wrapped her arms around Heather.

"Thank you so much. You really helped me out of a bad place." She pushed images into Heather's mind.

_"You fucking bastard! I'll kill you!" Heather's father was standing over her, broken bottle in his hand. She held her hand out above her head, trying to fend off any attacks. She'd only been trying to protect her mother, but was now in danger herself. The bottle descended towards her, but was knocked aside by her mother._

_"Howard, please!" Heather's mother was curled up on the kitchen floor. "I didn't mean to burn it! I'm sorry!"_  
_"Yeah right, you fucking bitch." His hand slapped across her mother's face, already wet with tears. He grabbed the pot from the stove and pushed the hot base into her hand, searing the skin. She cried out in pain. Heather pushed herself as far back into the wall as she could manage._

 _The sun was shining bright, and Heather squinted up at Shane. "Hey, Shane, I've got a few things to tell you."_  
_"Okay?" He turned to her, giving her his complete attention._  
_"Shane...I'm...I'm not really sure how to go about this but...I'm...I'm a girl." She bit her lip. "I mean...I was born with the body of a guy but-"_  
_"Oh, you mean that you're transgender?" Heather nodded, unsure of what that meant to him, unsure whether that would change their relationship. "Cool. My sister is too. Crazy coincidences, right? So...are you going to get the change? She - he did."_  
_"Yeah. I think I am." Heather felt a rush of relief - he didn't hate her. "There's something else. I...I've liked you for a while, and I was wondering if...if you wanted to go on a date."_  
_His face lit up with a smile. "I'd love to." He linked their hands together and kissed her cheek quickly._

 _"Come on, Isabella, we're going shopping! I don't know if you'll fit, but try on one of my dresses." She smiled at her brightly. "I'd always wanted a daughter. Us girls have to stick together, right?"_  
_Heather stepped into her mother's dress. It fit almost perfectly. She spun around in it. "It's beautiful, mum!" They were both smiling broadly._

 _"I like this one." She had a blue and white skirt on that went all the way down to her ankles. The fabric was lovely and soft, the skirt light and airy. "I also like this dress." She held up a red dress, not quite form-fitting, but close. It was knee-length and had an open back._  
_"Yeah, they both look so good on you." They looked at the price tags. The lady selling them saw them looking._  
_"They're both on sale, you know? Twenty-five percent off." One price tag read fifty, the other one hundred and twenty-eight. She could see that they were still apprehensive. "Look, I want to get you both of those if you like them. Tell me how much you can afford and I'll pay the rest. Such a beautiful young girl deserves beautiful clothes."_  
_"Thank you." Her mother looked in her purse. It was a dismal amount. "I can afford a hundred. I'm sorry it's not a lot. Are you sure you want to pay for the rest? That's a lot of money."_  
_"Don't worry about it! It's fine. So, does the young lady have a date she's going to?" Heather felt herself blush as she nodded. "Nice! And are they cute?"_  
_"He is." Heather pulled out her phone to show the lady - Anita - a picture of Shane._  
_"Oh! He **is** a looker, isn't he?" She scanned the dress and skirt and put them in a bag. "One hundred, please." Her mother handed over two fifty dollar notes. Anita took out her wallet and put seventy-eight dollars in the register. She took a pen and wrote down her number. "We should become friends. Here's my number. Call or text any time."_  
_"Thanks." Heather pocketed the number and she and her mother left the store._

 _Heather sat in a circle of her friends. A lot of them were female, but there was a fair number of males. "Okay, so I gathered you here to tell you something important."_  
_"I think we can kind of guess what it is, Andy. You're wearing a bloody dress. What do you think you're doing?" His name was Mike. She knew he wouldn't agree with all this. He was very much against the LGBT community._  
_"Well, firstly, my name's not Andy any more, Mike. It's Isabella now." It felt good to say it. "And I'm wearing a dress because I'm a girl."_  
_"Fuck that shit." He stood and left, along with one of the girls and two other boys. The girl shook her head at Heather._  
_"Okay, now that we've gotten out the people who don't agree with this, I'm guessing that the rest of you are okay with this..."_

Isabella pulled away. "Wow. You really have come a long way, and in only one day. I'm proud of you, Isabella."

"Thanks. I'm proud of me, too. I'm really grateful that you helped me."

Heather smiled and wished Isabella good luck. She talked to her mother for a few minutes before leaving them. She was happy, so she spread her wings and flew, even though it was draining.

  


Sydney woke up next to Jenny naked. She slipped out from between her arms, mourning what today would bring. She picked her clothes up from off the floor and pulled them on. She exited the room silently. She knew what she had to do, but she was loathe to do it. _If only things were different..._

Sydney went to the phoenix first. She was shivering in the centre of her room, the walls lined with huge blocks of ice. If it wasn't so sad, it would have looked silly. The phoenix looked up at the sound of the door opening. It was tragic how slow her movements were.

"Grace, get ready. It'll be time to go soon."

"What is there to get ready?" She said sadly. Sydney frowned. _No, don't let this break you. You've been through so much already._ "Will you hold me? I just need to know if I can still feel."

Sydney walked into the middle of the room and hugged the poor girl. _Sydney was looking at her mother, weeping. She'd suffered so much at the hands of this woman, but she still loved her. As she turned away, she felt her body become engulfed in flames, but was surprised that it didn't hurt._ It wasn't Grace's memory conjuring up these images, it was Sydney pushing them into her. She was trying to get her to remember that hardship; not to compare it, but to remind her of how strong she was.

"Okay." Grace sobbed. "Okay. I'm okay now." Sydney pulled back and Grace slumped back into her old position. "Thank you, Sydney. You're the best person in this hell."

The human was only a child - barely fourteen. _But still he is kept in this dreadful place._ There were other humans, but their numbers were dwindling quickly. He was losing his mind. Sydney knew he was close to snapping. Even so, she was sure that when the time came, he would move as quickly and as silently as possible.

"Henry?" She called to him before opening the door. She knew that he was prone to panic attacks, and the last thing they wanted right now was a hyperventilating fourteen-year-old. "Henry, it's almost time." Henry was one of the lucky ones. Being so young, no one wanted to rape him, and since he was human, he was allowed to keep some of his clothes. He still shivered, but at least he wasn't naked. "Get yourself ready to move, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Sydney."

"It's alright. Just be ready. We'll need to move quickly."

"Yep. You can count on me." He tried to smile, but his teeth were chattering too much. Sydney felt her heart warm in her chest. _At least he hasn't given up yet._

Sydney went to the were-jaguar next. He was young - only ten - but he had a lot of power. Conquering him had been a feat that Jenny prided herself on. She had, of course, been leading the attack on his family's house. His parents had died many months ago, under the terrible wrath of Jenny. They'd added their life forces to colour her lips blacker. Jenny had been most cruel with this boy - she hadn't just told him that she'd killed his parents - she'd seared it into his mind, causing him never-ending anguish. He would forever be scarred from his time here.

 _Won't everyone?_ Sydney knocked on his door before opening it. "Jack? Jack, you need to get ready to go, sweetheart. I'll be coming back in about an hour, okay?"

"Okay." He swayed on his feet. "Ready to go." He slumped back to the floor - Jenny or one of the others must have drained him this morning. She sighed and entered the room, holding him up long enough for him to have a quick, freezing shower.

"I'll come back in about an hour. Be ready to leave."

"Yeah. Thanks for doing this. You're really risking everything."

"I'm glad to." Sydney slid the door closed and moved to see the were-leopard.

She watched her step around the were-leopard - she was volatile. Being kept in such a confined place, her inner beast was clawing at her skin, begging to be able to run. "Lana?"

"I...I'm in control. Mostly." She said.

"Okay, well, I'll be back in an hour."

"I'll be in control by then." She said, with conviction. Sydney left her to it. She hoped that Lana could get her beast under control. They'd need her to if they were going to succeed. If she didn't get it under control, she would be off as soon as they opened her door.

Sydney went to the were-coyote next. He was a boy of about fifteen with blonde hair and a broad smile. He kept smiling through even the tough times. He wouldn't become a phoenix, but he was strong.

"Hey, Terry. Are you ready to go today?"

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. How are you holding up? You look terrible. Do you want a shower?"

"Yeah, thanks." Sydney lifted him up and got him under the head of the shower. She turned it on and they stood there for the allocated three minutes. Sydney stayed for a few more minutes, rubbing her arms up and down his arms, trying to warm him up a bit. Finally, she left him with promises of being back within the hour.

Her final visitor was Brett. He was asleep when she opened his door. She rubbed a hand over his spine and he stirred. "Hey," she said softly, "Liam's coming today. In about an hour, he'll be here and we'll get you all out, okay?"

"That...is almost the best news I could have woken up to." He lifted himself off the floor and wrapped her in a hug. "Thank you for doing this. I know it's risky for you."

"It's fine. I wanted to anyway." Sydney blushed. "Do you want me to do anything before I go and meet Liam?"

"No. It's alright. Go and be our hero."

Sydney chuckled and kissed his cheek before leaving him. She went to find Liam where she'd told him to hide. When she got there, she was surprised to see not one figure, but two.

  


Scott had told Liam and the other pack members everything, and they were now, under the cover of night, getting into their positions. Liam didn't have to do anything until dawn had just broken. "Hey, have we told Lori of the plan? Is she waiting at your house, Scott?"

"No, no one's told her yet. We thought it would be better if she didn't worry about it working or not. She should just relax until we get Brett back to her."

"You think she's not worrying now? I don't care what you say, she deserves to know, Scott. I'm going to tell her."

Scott sighed. "I know. Okay."

Liam bounded off to find Lori. She was curled up in Brett's bed. Liam inhaled the scents in the room. There was a strong odour of sorrow - a mixture of Liam and Lori's - and there was the scent of hope - Lori's mostly. There was despair - Liam's. There was the faint scent of Brett's arousal still left, embedded in the walls. There was the strong scent of Lori's peacefulness. There was Liam's own scent mingling in with everything. Brett's scent was starting to fade underneath all of the other scents.

Liam knelt next to the bed and shook Lori awake. "Lori, get up for me, okay?"

Lori groaned and shifted on the mattress, allowing Liam enough room to climb in with her. She wrapped herself around his torso. "Is Brett back?"

"I'm afraid not, but we know where he's being kept. We're infiltrating their nest today. I'm going in to get him and some other prisoners out. I'm not going to ask you to stay here, Lori. What do you want to do?"

"I want to go in with you."

"Lori, I don't think that's the best idea."

"Why not? I'm as small as you, if not smaller, and he's my brother. I should go in with you. I'll be quiet - you know I will. I _will_ get my brother out, Liam. I don't know where he is, or what they've done to him, but it can't be good if he hasn't been able to overpower them. Liam, you have to let me do this."

"It might not be up to me."

"I don't care. I'm going in."

Liam sighed. "Okay. Follow me back, but twenty paces behind me. Stay quiet. If you're caught, they're not going to let you in. When the time comes, you follow me silently into their den. We'll meet up with a lady there. She's on our side. She'll lead us to six rooms. One of those is Brett's. We're taking all of those people out, okay?"

"Okay. I wish we were only taking Brett, but I understand why we're not. Thank you, Liam. They weren't even going to tell me, were they?" Lori gripped Liam in a crushing hug.

"No. I thought it was wrong, keeping it from you. They wanted to let you relax, as though you weren't already really worried."

"Thank you, Liam. Thank you. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"It's alright, Lori. We're going to get him back, I promise."

"I know." Liam and Lori left the house, going to the woods. They got into position, crouching as they got near the entrance. They crept forward and took out the sentries, dragging them the the sides of the door, making it look like they fell asleep on duty. They slipped inside the door and hid in a small alcove until Sydney came.

"Who's this?" She hissed.

"Lori, Brett's sister."

Sydney sighed. "Oh God." She eyed her up. "Alright. Follow me."

Liam and Lori eased out of their hiding spot and trailed after Sydney, keeping to the shadows. They were led to a room that was emitting waves of clod air. Lori shivered and Liam wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Sydney opened the door and a girl of about eighteen years was huddled in the centre of the room, surrounded by blocks of ice. She was completely naked. Liam hated to think about how cold she must be. She had greasy black hair and tan skin. She stood up, but collapsed forward.

Lori, with her werewolf reflexes, rushed forward and caught her. "Are you okay?"

The girl clung to Lori like a life-line and shivered violently. Lori pulled her out of the ice room and held her tightly, wrapping her in warmth. They had to move quickly, but they could only manage a shuffle because of Grace.

"We're going to get Henry next. Then Jack, Lana, Terry and then, finally, Brett. You are aware that everyone but Henry's naked, though, right?" She turned to Lori. "Can you handle seeing your brother naked?"

"Uh...I guess. I haven't seen him like that before, though."

"Well, don't be too shocked. You've been warned." They halted as they saw another siren coming towards them. "Oh, don't worry." Sydney said as she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's Freya." She walked to the other siren. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I've been to the cells and given everyone clothes already. I know that's risky, but everyone's asleep. They think that Jenny's being paranoid. They even found the guards on sentry duty asleep."

"That was our doing, but if that's what they think, let's not rouse them."

"Alright." Freya nodded and joined their party, giving some clothes to Grace. She put them on hurriedly, wincing in pain when she got to the trousers.

Lori held her hand out and took Grace's pain. She stood taller and smiled at her. "Thank you. If I may, what are your names?"

"I'm Lori, and that's Liam."

She smiled at them in turn. "Lovely to meet you. I hope we make it out alive so I can get to know you better."

"Yes, that _is_ the plan." Sydney said, glancing around nervously. "But we need to keep moving. We've taken too long already."

Sydney led them through a few more corridors, opening another two doors quickly. They were close to each other. "These two are Henry and Jack." She walked into Jack's room, helping him with his jacket. She led him out into the hallway and closed their doors again, hopefully prolonging anyone from noticing their disappearance.

"Come on, guys. We have to go now." She lengthened her strides, making it to the next room in only two minutes. "Lana, do you have your leopard under control?"

"Just give me a minute." She grunted a bit. "No. I can't..."

"Let me talk to her, okay?" Liam said. Sydney nodded, and he slipped into the room. "Hey, Lana, right?"

"Yes. And who are you?" Her eyes flashed silver.

"My name's Liam. We're here to get you out. I understand that you need to get your animal under control first, though, right?"

"Yes." Her eyes flashed again, and she held her hands close to her body, tipped with claws. She still didn't have the clothes she was given on. Liam came closer to her and took her hands in his.

"Okay, well, we need to get this done quickly, but don't feel rushed, okay?"

"How am I supposed to not feel rushed?" Lana sounded close to snapping.

"Alright. Calm down. Panicking isn't going to help. What's making your leopard come to the surface, Lana?"

"It wants to run in the open air."

"How long do you think you can hold that instinct back?"

"Seconds." She let out a low growl. "Please, how do I make it work?"

"Give me a second, okay?"

"Alright." She hugged herself tightly, shivering. Liam slipped out of the room.

"Is the path ahead clear? Can someone guide her to the exit? She's not going to be able to hold it back. What we need to do is either run her to exhaustion inside her cell or let her run."

Sydney thought about it for a while before coming to a decision. "Freya, stay here. In ten minutes, open her door and lead her to the exit. Take her hand and run as fast as you can with her. The rest of you, we push on."

A short time later, they were standing outside yet another cell. Liam wondered how she could tell the difference before deciding that it didn't matter. "Terry, are you ready to go?"

His broad smile lit an ember of hope in Liam's chest. _Maybe Brett's still okay._ "Yep. All packed and ready to leave."

He fell in line, and Liam felt his heart start to beat even faster. Every step brought him closer to Brett, the love of his life. When Sydney stepped in front of another door, Liam almost couldn't contain his excitement. Sydney pulled on the door's handle, revealing Brett's lanky form. The clothes he was wearing didn't quite fit him, but he seemed grateful for them anyway. Lori stiffened next to Liam before rushing forward and launching herself into Brett's arms.

"Brett. Brett, I missed you so much." She wouldn't let go, so Brett carried her the whole way outside, smiling at Liam, promising him a proper reunion when they got to Scott's house. Lori was sobbing into Brett's shoulder, soaking his shirt. Liam smiled up at Brett, taking his hand as they walked. He entwined their fingers and found comfort in his scent.

"I missed you." He whispered so that only Brett could hear.

"I missed you too."

  


Lori was getting apprehensive of their meeting with Brett. _Will he look well? Will he have lost weight? How will he react?_ She felt her palms start to get sweaty, her heart racing in her chest. Sydney stopped in front of a door, and she held her breath. The door slid aside, and Lori saw a brother she hadn't seen in weeks. She stiffened at how hurt he smelled, but she brushed it aside, flinging herself into her brother's arms.

She almost couldn't believe that he was there, under her fingers. "Brett." She inhaled his scent deeply, wanting to wrap it around herself forever. When Brett's arms encircled her waist, she sobbed. "Brett, I missed you so much." She didn't care how it looked - she pushed her hand into his hair and turned her face into his neck. She sobbed, the tears streaking her face, the action racking her small frame.

Brett rubbed comforting circles into her back as he walked. Lori was grateful for the contact. She never wanted to let Brett go. As she inhaled Brett's scent again, she heard him talk to Liam.

"Don't worry, Liam. We'll get to have a proper reunion when we get to Scott's house." Lori felt bad for taking that away from Liam, but she knew he'd understand - this was her brother.

"It's alright. I think, if Lori could, she'd never let you go again. I suspect you'll be on house arrest for the next few weeks."

In response, Lori gripped him tighter. She restricted her grip on his neck and tightened her thighs. "I think you might be right."

Lori saw Liam entwine his fingers with Brett's. "I missed you." He said lowly.

"I missed you too." Lori knew that Liam and Brett would end up together after this, and that they'd have sex, but she wasn't ready for that to happen just yet. She wanted some time to just be with her brother. She knew Liam would understand that too. She felt herself start to calm in her brother's scent. She let her eyes fall closed as she went to sleep.

  


Brett had put the clothes the other siren had brought him on and readied himself for a long wait. He still had about half an hour to wait before the others were due to show up. He hoped that Liam was okay. He couldn't wait to see Lori and hug her for a week straight. He knew she'd be worried. All he could do now was get home safe for her. The clothes didn't quite fit him, but that was alright. As long as he wasn't naked when he saw Liam for the first time in weeks.

_I hope he knows that I'm not mad at him. It's not his fault I was captured._

  


He heard footsteps approaching and tensed everything. He stood and waited apprehensively in the doorway. The door was pulled back, and he was amazed to see not only Liam, but Lori as well. Liam was looking at him like he'd never seen him before, and Lori's scent was troubled. Suddenly, she was in his arms, holding him to her tightly. "Brett." She said, voice muffled by his neck. She inhaled his scent in a long draw. He wrapped his arms around her waist and was surprised when she let out a small sob - Lori almost never cried. "Brett, I missed you so much."

He sighed when she threaded her hands into his hair and kissed his neck. This was the sister he was used to - overly affectionate and motherly. He rubbed circles into her lower back. He recognised the she probably wouldn't be letting him go any time soon, so he walked out of his cell, falling into step next to Liam. Brett and Liam talked softly so that the others couldn't hear them.

Brett felt Lori tighten her grip when Liam suggested that she wouldn't let go of him ever again. _That's my sister, alright. It's so good to have you back, Lori. I'm not ever going to leave you again._ Brett wanted to just be home with these two already, but he knew that he wasn't the only person here. They needed to keep their reunions to the future.

He smiled when Liam slipped his hand into his own. He gave it a little squeeze. He looked down at him from the corner of his eye and saw his red lips. He really wanted to kiss him right then, but he knew that they had to concentrate on getting out. _Later. Everything like that can come later._


End file.
